Innovative Pest Solutions Blog

As the Raleigh weather cools down to comfortable conditions, you may be finding yourself cleaning the garage or doing last minute yardwork before winter arrives. In either case, you may be handling some typically undisturbed items (e.g., boxes, rakes), exposing yourself to spider bites. Here are some tips to help you avoid being bitten this season.  Wear gloves. Many spider bites occur on...

Science Fair season is again upon us! Here’s an idea for an easy (and informative!) project using a common house pest–the termite! Termites are social insects, meaning that they live in large groups with a division of labor (just like ants and bees). Worker termites leave the colony to forage for food. In order to communicate to each other about paths to rich food sources, termites lay down ch...

Most Raleigh-area homeowners are familiar with silverfish. Let’s learn more about these common house guests, including how they got their silly name! What are silverfish? Silverfish are extremely primitive insects. Like all insects, they have six legs. Their overall body plan and appearance is very different from most other common insects, however, due to their primitive nature. You have likel...

What are stink bugs? There are several types of stink bugs in Raleigh, North Carolina, but the one you are likely seeing in your home is the brown marmorated stink bug, or BMSB for short. A lot of locals comment that they don’t remember seeing this insect years ago and they’re right! BMSB are a relatively new agricultural pest in the United States and are thought to have been first introduced t...

We know you’ve seen (and probably been startled by) them! Camel crickets are frequently found in homes across the Triangle. Here are some tips on how to identify camel crickets in your home.   What’s a camel cricket? Camel crickets are in the insect order Orthoptera, along with field crickets, mole crickets, and even grasshoppers. Like these other Orthopterans, camel crickets have back le...

Mites are tiny arthropods that are neither insects nor spiders. Most mites have eight legs and are less than a millimeter long. They are a diverse group of organisms, so they can be found in many different habitats, such as in water, on trees, on agricultural crops, or even in your home.  Some common mites you might find in and around your home include: Dust mites We constantly shed our o...